Sunday, 15th September, 2019
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| With my dear Lebanese friend Rania at home last Sunday |
Here I am again reporting on my week or should I say our week as this blog is not just about me but about my family.
Last Sunday was a wonderful day with family and friends and quite unexpectedly so too. The girls had invited their dearest friend, Copi, who they have known since they were 3 and 4, and Ana or Anita as we call her. Anita was Oli's friend at University but she also lived with Suzy in London for 2 years. Both girls are in many ways part of our family. Thus I had to rush to make lunch for 8; the five of us, the two girls and Lucy our carer. For the record I made broccoli and mushroom soup for starters and meat loaf with mushrooms (again) and rice with home made tomato sauce for the second course.
Both girls brought great news. Copi has become engaged to Unai and we look forward to her fairy tale wedding in 3 years time. Ana's news was far bigger. She has just got over Hodgkin's lymphoma after 7 months of intense and dreadful chemotheraphy treatment. We are so happy for her. At just 36 and one month after her last session, she is free of cancer, he hair is growing and she is beginning to not only enjoy life but to relish it. She told me that after such an illness her outlook on life has completely changed and now she understands what is important in life and what isn't. Cancer has made her strong.
It was another lovely sunny day and on Sunday Oli insisted we eat outside, despite the wasps that would attack our food hahaha. And here are the four girls just as we sat down to what would be a wonderful meal and not only because of the food.
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| The four girls united. At the back Suzy. At the front from left to right: Oli in stripes, Copi in the middle and dear Anita on the right. |
It was a long lunch with plenty of chatter and laughter. I later took a short nap while the girls convened to the pool.
Our Honduran guests had gone into Madrid so we had the house to ourselves. I was sorry for Josefina, her husband Oscar and son also called Oscar as when they arrived it felt like they had arrived on Mars or on the Moon. They came quite unprepared with no adapters for their devices and sim locked phones and of course no hired car. They couldn't even use Uber for transport as it won't respond to a Honduran telephone number. I ended up using my Uber account to order and pay for a taxi for them to go to Madrid. I gave them my tips on what to do in Madrid including a walk to the main points of interest in the city and wondered all day long how they had got on. Finally at night I got a message from them to say they were eating out and would be home shortly. They had got a phone and Spanish sim card for their 41 year old son, Oscar, and finally a Uber account that worked. Their next mission would be to find accommodation for Oscar for his year here while studying at the UEM University.
Later I joined the girls and was so happy to see them together, enjoying little croissants Copi had bought which they had with "nocilla", the Spanish equivalent of Nutella and very much a childhood treat. They used to love it as kids. Here they are together.
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| The four girls on Sunday afternoon |
But I was to have my own visitor too on Sunday. In the afternoon, my Lebanese Airbnb friend, Rania, who lives in Brussels, was in Spain to settle her son, Jo, into his new residence near where we live. Last year she came with him to find accommodation and they stayed with us for 10 days. We immediately felt a connection and soon became friends. She returned with her husband and youngest son, Raphael, in October but I hadn't seen her since. She came armed with a beautiful box of delicious Belgian chocolates which I fed my father with every day this week. He loved them.
It was just great to see Rania again. We had lots to catch up on and it was nice for once to have a friend come and see me. I remarked later to Suzy that night that it was such a pity that nearly all my real girlfriends live abroad. I was thinking of my dearest Sandra, Adele, Kathy, Anne and Amanda and of course Rania. Oh I do miss them and don't see enough of them. If only I had them near me. Rania and I sat and chatted for hours. I told her about this year's project, my father's book, all the work that had got into it and of course I gave her a signed copy. I showed her the photos, all his cards and the English press clippings. Eladio came up to see us and commented that I was doing my "propoganda" hahaha. Later, Miguel, who had had lunch with his nephews, soon to be Elliot's cousin, arrived and as he is our official photographer, he took a photo of Rania and I. It's the photo I have chosen for this week's feature photo. You can see we are sitting happily and relaxed together by the pool enjoying each other's company.
Rania was going through a bad patch as her sister had just been diagnosed with breast cancer and a 6 cm tumour. She was worried stiff that it would have spread and would be nervous and upset until they got the results of the biopsy later in the week when she was back in Brussels. I was so pleased to hear later that it had not spread. Thank goodness for that.
It was just great to see Rania again. We had lots to catch up on and it was nice for once to have a friend come and see me. I remarked later to Suzy that night that it was such a pity that nearly all my real girlfriends live abroad. I was thinking of my dearest Sandra, Adele, Kathy, Anne and Amanda and of course Rania. Oh I do miss them and don't see enough of them. If only I had them near me. Rania and I sat and chatted for hours. I told her about this year's project, my father's book, all the work that had got into it and of course I gave her a signed copy. I showed her the photos, all his cards and the English press clippings. Eladio came up to see us and commented that I was doing my "propoganda" hahaha. Later, Miguel, who had had lunch with his nephews, soon to be Elliot's cousin, arrived and as he is our official photographer, he took a photo of Rania and I. It's the photo I have chosen for this week's feature photo. You can see we are sitting happily and relaxed together by the pool enjoying each other's company.
Rania was going through a bad patch as her sister had just been diagnosed with breast cancer and a 6 cm tumour. She was worried stiff that it would have spread and would be nervous and upset until they got the results of the biopsy later in the week when she was back in Brussels. I was so pleased to hear later that it had not spread. Thank goodness for that.
Everyone was staying for dinner so it was all hands on board in the kitchen later to make the meal. Rania, feeling quite at home and knowing my kitchen well, gave a helping hand. We had a very Spanish dinner, gazpacho, various hams, salad and the 4 small tortillas. We had to have two photos taken so that I would be in one and Miguel in the other. I don't like selfies of a huge group of people as the person taking the photo ends up with a big head. Samsung, you have to improve the selfie camera. Here they are.
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| A very happy dinner with family and friends |
If at lunch Copi had brought bread, pastries and mini croissants and Anita had brought more bread and also ham and salami, Rania, as I said, had brought her delicious Belgian chocolates. They were the icing on the cake of dinner that night except that I was good and didn't taste even one as I want to stick to my diet and shed the weight I have put on. I was told they were delicious and they certainly looked it. I saved some for my father who is a great chocolate fan and I have to say that Belgian chocolate is the best.
It was happy bunch of people around the table all talking a mixture of Spanish and English. It was a night to remember. But, as usual, all good things come to an end and at around 10.30 our guests began to leave. We gave them a great send off accompanying them to the street, hugging each other and waving them off. We won't see Copi for some time now as she lives in Vitoria in the north of Spain. As to Ana, I hope we see her soon again. Rania I would see for lunch the next day before she returned to Brussels on Wednesday.
While we were having our dinner, a great tennis match was being played in New York, the US Open final at Flushing Meadows. The two finalists were Spain's Rafa Nadal, the world's current number two player and the Russian player Medvedev the number 4 seed. Rafa who already had 3 US Open titles was looking to win his 19th Grand Slam, just one less than the man with the most grand slams, Roger Federer. The match started at 10 pm US time so I only got the news the Spaniard had won his 4th US Open the next day. I was so pleased. To judge by the score; 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4, the match must have been absolutely thrilling and both men must have felt exhausted at the end. In Rafa's case, exhilarated as well. Here he is lying on the court and savouring his victory. What a great ambassador he is for Spain and Spanish sport.
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| Rafa after winning the US Open on Sunday night |
For the record, Federer has 20, Nadal now 19, Djokovic 16, Sampras 14 and Roy Emerson 12. It's obvious the two best players in the history of tennis are Switzerland's Roger Federer and Spain's Rafa Nadal. Aged 33, he can still win more and who knows maybe even beat Federer's 20 titles and become the tennis player with the most Grand Slams ever. Another statistic for you is that amazingly the 3 big players, Nadal, Federer and Djokovic, between them have won the last 12 Grand Slam tournaments.
I don't think it was broadcast on TV so we did not see the match when we went to bed. In any case I would have found it so nail biting so doubt I couldn't have watched it. Instead we carried on with our silly series "Traición".
Our Honduran guests arrived home ok which I was glad about. That day I got another reservation for October, this time from two German girls coming at the beginning of October. Our house receives guests from all over the world. I commented to Suzy that day, that of course money was the reason we do Airbnb, but that there was a lot of enjoyment in hosting precisely because we get to meet and know people from all the corners of the world and to make new friends, like Joanne from Lancashire or dear Rania. I'm so glad I embarked on my Airbnb adventure when I started my new life after Yoigo.
Monday came. It didn't feel as though it would be a particularly interesting day but it certainly turned out to be one. With no sign of Elliot that day, off we went for our walk in the morning. I had to work when I came back and had a video conference call using my new PC. The call was made on Google Hangouts which on my new computer finally worked. It's a marvel and I prefer it to Skype. Try it my friends, it's great.
It was that morning that my Facebook memories reminded me of photos I had posted a year ago. I always love looking at the memories to see what I had posted on that day in the past 10 years. One was of me with Olivia, a babe in arms, at the Retiro Park. I thought, soon it will be her with a babe in arms. This is it and I love it.
There was another one too that I particularly like. Taken in 1993 when I was 36 and Olivia was 8, she is holding one of our beagle puppies that she had dressed up as a doll. The photo was taken in our kitchen in the old house in Río Tajo in nearby Boadilla. We used to breed beagles and the girls adored the puppies. I can hardly recognise myself in the photo but I can certainly recognise little Olivia who was beautiful even then just aged 8. It's a wonderful memory of the past. Here we are. Eladio said he didn't recognise me in the photo. Oh dear, I wish he did as now that I look back at it, I can see I was quite a good looking young woman. To think then I was just 1 year older than Suzy is now and 2 years older than Olivia now. Wow, where did the time in between go?
For once on Monday I didn't have to cook. I was going out for lunch with my dear friend Rania. Thus the men would have Sunday's leftovers. Rania arrived at 2.15 or so and we got into my Mini and drove to a restaurant in Boadilla. We ended up having lunch at El Kiosko, a popular place which gets very full at the weekends but was quiet on Monday. We ate outside. Unfortunately and surprisingly for me, I had left my phone in the car so there are no photos of our time together that day. We spoke mainly about Rania's family. She was very upset about her sister. I told her she would have to be both positive and brave when she returned home this week. That's why I was so glad to hear the good news later in the week. She will have breathed a huge sigh of relief.
I came home to find a quiet house. Our Honduran guests were out. I spent some time at my desk dealing with emails. I then did something I had been thinking about for a while. I wanted to know if little Elliot, my future grandson, would be entitled to British citizenship from his mother, Oli who is a British citizen because, I, her mother am British and was born in England. I had to ring the Passport Office and then the Home Office. It is the latter that deals with applications for citizenship but it was impossible to talk to anyone as everything was automated. I finally found the answer to my question hidden deep in the UK Government website. I was totally deflated by reading the following words:
"A child born outside the United Kingdom will not be a British citizen if neither parent is a British citizen otherwise than by descent. A parent who is a British citizen by descent cannot pass that status on." I finally understood that my children could be passed on citizenship through me but that, unlike in Ireland, it only works for one generation so they cannot pass on their citizenship to their offspring. Oh how unfair I thought. I was very disappointed, my family less so. I read also though that if Elliot had been born in the UK to a British citizen even through descent then he would have been automatically a British citizen. Suzy later remarked just how racist Britain is. Her comment hurt me but she has a point. Eladio remarked later that Elliot would be a very good Spanish citizen. Well, of course.
A bit down, afterwards I went upstairs and outside to the sunbeds by the pool to read my book, the Lives of the Mountbattens. It was then that I got an email from my London publisher that would change my mood. It was to sign and return the contract after my input, some of which came from a lawyer friend, Mónica and a publisher friend, Javier. I was amazed to see they accepted each and every clause change proposed by me. Thus I signed it and sent it off. I did so alone feeling rather brave. Have I done the right thing? Will my book even have a chance in England? But I had to try and only time will tell. I got Eladio to take a photo of me smiling with the contract in hand.
There will be a lot of work to do now before the book becomes available in bookshops in the UK but I know it will be an interesting experience and of course I shall put my heart and soul into it.
Later at dinner, we didn't exactly celebrate but I was on a high. I told Suzy that if I hadn't done it, I would always have regretted the chance to get my father's story published in England. She agreed. I had hardly seen her all day as she had been busy with her classes but we caught up a bit over dinner. Just as we were finishing our Hondurans arrived. They had got over feeling a little lost and stranded as they now have a Spanish phone and sim card, can use Uber and more importantly have found accommodation for their son Oscar. The mother, Josefina, promptly sat down with us and asked if she could share our melon! We were a bit taken aback but could not refuse hahaha. She does talk a lot.
We were in bed late that night but not too late to watch the end of our series Traición.
Tuesday came and there was still no sign of Elliot who no doubt is getting bigger and bigger. Poor Oli. The day started with our walk with Suzy and my goodness how we noticed that the temperature had dropped. Mercury would not rise above 22c that day. It was the first day I wore jeans since our trip to the UK. I'm glad I'm on a diet as I can't get into all of my jeans - how frustrating. After our walk it was food shopping time to Carrefour Market and Mercadona. We were home on time to make lunch which was a quiet affair with my father.
I didn't do much in the afternoon. I had meant to press on with something a bit urgent but put it off - I should not procrastinate - and sat down in the lounge to carry on reading my book on The Mountabattens. Lord Louis does not really come out in a good light I'm afraid even though he is a sort of Royal national hero in the UK. Talking about the UK, the images coming out of Westminster in the closing down ceremony were quite appalling. But I have to admit I was admiring of the speaker who was standing down, John Bercow. What a speaker and I mean it in the two senses of the word. The House of Commons is losing a lot without him. I don't know whether he is a remainer or a leaver but I think he is the best politician we have or at least the one who makes us all sit up and listen and laugh. I love his sense of humour.
That afternoon my dear Uni friend Adele who lives in Orleans in France where she is a University teacher of English rang me. We hadn't spoken since our girly weekend in Brussels in March when we stayed at Sandra's. Would you believe we spoke for 1.5 hours. It was just great to talk to one of my best friends. Later I moaned to Eladio too just how much I miss my closest girlfriends who all live abroad. You are Amanda, Sandra, Adele, Kathy and Anne and I only wish you lived here.
The evening was quiet, Suzy was out at Oli's, our Hondurans came home but didn't use the kitchen and we only saw Andy while having our dinner. Later we started watching a new series on Netflix, The Spy which we found promising.
Wednesday came and the cold front which had affected other parts of Spain, seemed to make its appearance in Madrid that day and temperatures were down again to 22ºc which is unusual for this time in September. Wednesday was the 11th September and the 18th anniversary of the terrible terrorist attacks in the US. As everyone else, I shall never forget that most terrible terrorist attack, one of the worst in history. For me it symbolised the start of a new world, a world of uncertainty, a new type of war where attacks from fanatical Muslim groups can happen at any time in any part of the world. It's hard to fight. It doesn't bear thinking about but it is today's reality.
That morning I had lots to do and as soon as I was back from my walk I went straight to my desk. I had to prepare for sending a press release for a customer on Thursday and I also had to re-do the corrections and additions to the latest manuscript of my father's book which will be like a second edition as I have added so much since I first self published on 1st May. At 1.30 I had a video conference call with Russel, the Senior Editor of L.R. Price Publications my London publisher. We had been exchanging emails for quite a while. It was good to put a face and voice to an email address. I really liked Russel who was very complimentary about my book. He explained that they had chosen it because of its timeless value from a historical point of view. In an email later he wrote "thanks for sharing your wonderful book with us". I was flattered. Really, I have him to thank for taking it on. During the call he explained what the publishing process will be all about and it seems it will take a while; even up to a year. That's a lot for an impatient person like me hahaha. Later I sent him the updates and corrections in the format he had asked for. I imagine the next steps are hearing from the editor who will go through the manuscript. In one of the clauses in the contract I have made sure they include that they will not change the style of the book and that I will have veto rights on any changes they propose to make. This is all very exciting but will take a while, so I have to sit back for the moment as the ball is in their court right now.
I told my father at lunch about the latest on "his" book and he was very pleased. Suzy joined us for lunch as that day her lessons to Chinese kids finished earlier than usual. In the afternoon I worked for 2 or 3 hours and when I felt free of commitments, went outside to finish my book on the Lives and loves of the Mountabattens.
My friend Fátima was coming that afternoon to see me although she didn't arrive until 7 pm. It was great to see her. She gave us an update on how her cancer treatment is going. She was diagnosed with stage 4 bowl cancer over 2.5 years ago and is fighting it like a lioness. I can only admire her. We sat and chatted on the benches in the kitchen patio enjoying the last rays of sunshine. Eladio joined us and I got him to take a photo of the two of us with our dogs; old friends reunited. We have been friends since we met at Motorola in about 1991 nearly 28 years ago.
That was when we were young and beautiful but not really aware of it. We were close colleagues. At the time Motorola sponsored a cycling team and we were both very involved in the sponsorship. I have a photo of the two of us when we were at the famous Paris Roubaix race which I treasure. This is it. See the difference 30 years makes to a face and body my friends, but not to our hearts, spirits and souls. We are still the same people and still friends. That is what matters I tell myself hahaha.
She stayed for dinner which we had in the kitchen as it was too cold to eat outside. I do hope the cold front goes away and the warm weather comes back.
That night we continued watching the new series on Netflix which we had begun the day before; The Spy. It's based on the life of Israel's top Mossad agent, Eli Cohen in Syria and is well worth watching.
Thursday came and still no sign of Elliot. I was getting a little worried. Everyone was asking us for news but we would have no news until Friday.
Thursday was a work day for me. I had to send out a press release for my customer Adamo, the Swedish fiber internet operator. It was the announcement of a new CEO, the story of which had been leaked by another paper a couple of weeks ago. That would prove to be a hindrance for getting press coverage as the news was out. Also it wasn't exactly breaking news for the telecom media. It was much more important for the staff. I spent all morning on that and part of the afternoon.
It was a warm but windy day. In other parts of Spain the cold front produced havoc. On the south east coast, aka, the Costa Blanca, the area was experiencing the worst floods and storms since records began. I couldn't believe what I was seeing on the TV. That was indeed freak weather. 6 people have died and perhaps the worst hit town was Orihuela in the southern area of Alicante. Luckily in Madrid we were not affected although rain was forecast for the end of the week. It came yesterday and has rained all night. The main news in Spain this week was the weather, the freak floods in the South East and in Málaga with unprecedented damage. The images were shocking and my heart went out to the victims, their families and everyone affected.
We enjoyed the warmer weather her though that afternoon siting on our lovely wicker sofas by the pool and reading. Here is Eladio. See if you can spot Pippa with him.
Having finished the book about the Mountbattens, I began reading a book which might surprise you. About the real story of the investigation of the Yorkshire Ripper, it is not my usual genre but the news of the book piqued my interest. That's because when he was killing and attacking women in West Yorkshire I was living there. His first known murder was in 1975, the year I finished my A levels. He went on killing and attacking until he was caught in 1980. Only women living in that area during those years will have any idea of how frightening that was. I remember my father taking me to the bus stop to keep me safe. I remember hearing warnings such as "trust no man, not even your father or your brother". I remember looking at men on the trains and buses frightened they may be the ripper. I think one of his last victims was a student from Leeds University where my mother taught. A few days later I was at a hospital in Leeds for some reason and there were warnings everywhere. When they eventually caught the evil man, I was stunned to learn he lived just up the road from us in Heaton in Bradford. The book, Wicked beyond belief - the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper - by Michael Bilton, centres on what went wrong in the investigation. He was able to write the book only after files on the case became available not so long ago. Thankfully, Sutcliffe, who was given a 30 year sentence, is safely locked away in Broadmoor and despite his plea to be released after fulfilling the sentence was not deemed safe enough to let out. I hope he ends his days there. What fear he put into me at the time and everyone around me. I shall never forget that period of my life.
The day ended quietly with Eladio and I having our dinner on the table on the kitchen patio. I went out to the swimming pool terrace just afterwards and was rewarded with a stunning sight. There was a full moon and its reflection on the pool. Let me share a picture of that moment with you.
Once in bed we continued watching The Spy on Netflix until we fell asleep.
Friday came. That day after our walk, with work out of the way, I went to the hairdresser to get my roots done and have a hair cut. I walked out looking good I suppose but it was raining. Eladio came to pick me up as Suzy had my car. With a plastic bag on my head I dashed into the passenger seat. The rain had reached Madrid finally and it was the first rain in a long long time.
That morning Oli and Miguel were at the hospital for an appointment. Oli's due date was a week over and we were anxious to know the opinion of the doctors. Well, the news was that if she didn't go into labour this weekend, she would have to be admitted into hospital on Monday morning at 8 am for the birth to be induced. Finally then Elliot is on his way but we still don't really know when he will be born but now it should be very soon. We were happy with the news that Oli and Miguel shared with us when they came for lunch that day. For the record I made one of my youngest daugther's favourite dishes: "cocido madrileño".
After a short siesta I had my afternoon cup of decaf tea which I enjoyed while reading my book. It was quite cold outside and I had to wear a warm dressing gown. Later I was joined by Josefina and Oscar, my Honduran guests and we chatted for a while. They told me they loved our house and that we are privileged to live here. Because I live here I don't really see it but of course the house is amazing.
It was Friday night and Oli suggested we go out to dinner. I didn't really want to break my diet but I did want dinner out with my family so off we went. They chose "Casa Iván" in nearby Boadilla where we had been before but they hadn't. I have to say the food was lovely. It was at dinner that Miguel showed me some wonderful photos he had taken of Oli and her bump such as this one.
I hardly have any photos of when I was pregnant as I thought I looked so awful. My daughter has hardly put on any weight and it's only noticeable on her bump. I put on double when I was pregnant with Suzy - a whopping 24 kilos. In my day we tried to hide our bumps by wearing tent like dresses. Today bumps are considered beautiful and a pregnant woman is nearly revered. That wasn't so in my times and I'm glad things have changed. We all commented at the end of the evening that that was probably going to be Oli and Miguel's last dinner out for quite a time after Elliot is born.
We were home at about 11.30 and watched more of The Spy.
Saturday came and brought the rain with it but thankfully it only made its appearance after our walk. On my walk I kept thinking about buying a proper smart TV. We use an older flat screen TV and are able to watch streaming thanks to Amazon's little device called Amazon Fire Stick. However it plays up a lot, gets frozen and blocked and I am always fighting with it. So that morning Eladio and I went off to El Corte Inglés in search of an up to date smart TV. We ended up buying a 55 inch Samsung for a reasonable price as there was a 20% discount on TVs that week in El Corté Inglés. I can't wait for it to be installed tomorrow. In the afternoon, I wanted to watch a film as it was raining. The fire stick played up. I ended up spending 1.5h trying to fix it with all the tricks in the book. In the end I had to have Amazon call me and it turns out it is broken. They will be sending me a replacement in 2 weeks time. By then I shall not need it as, hopefully, our new smart TV will have solved all the problems we have when using streaming to watch Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc. Meanwhile we are using my trusted iPad pro, a throw back from my times at Yoigo, and last night finished watching The Spy.
We were alone at home for most of Saturday. Our Honduran guests had gone into the city centre to visit the Royal Palace, Suzy was at Juli's and Oli and Miguel at their flat. No doubt we shall see them tomorrow at the hospital when, fingers crossed, she will go into labour. Waiting for Elliot is our status at the moment. I can't imagine the moment I have him in my arms and only then will I really know and understand what it is to be a grandmother. I asked my father if he was looking forward to becoming a great grandfather and of course he is.
Today is Sunday and it looks like it is going to rain all day. I wonder if we will get our walk in. I do hope so. If not it will be a quiet day at home. Zena, our weekend carer, is back and today she will be doing the cooking. I bought the ingredients for her to make her signature dish, Russian stuffed cabbage called "gloupsy", a dish both my father and I love.
On a last note, Facebook reminded me today of a memory from 9 years ago. I always love to check the memories as you know. Well it seems 9 years ago today we were in Jordan visiting that most amazing site, Petra, built by the Nabateans probably in about the 4th century BC. We did so on horseback and wearing local clothes and it was one of the best experiences of our lives. We shall never forget Petra. This is the photo of us on entering on horseback.
So that's it for the moment folks. As you see this week coming will be all about Elliot and hopefully you too will get to see him in photos in next Sunday's blog post.
Wishing you all the best, cheers till next week.
Masha
It was that morning that my Facebook memories reminded me of photos I had posted a year ago. I always love looking at the memories to see what I had posted on that day in the past 10 years. One was of me with Olivia, a babe in arms, at the Retiro Park. I thought, soon it will be her with a babe in arms. This is it and I love it.
There was another one too that I particularly like. Taken in 1993 when I was 36 and Olivia was 8, she is holding one of our beagle puppies that she had dressed up as a doll. The photo was taken in our kitchen in the old house in Río Tajo in nearby Boadilla. We used to breed beagles and the girls adored the puppies. I can hardly recognise myself in the photo but I can certainly recognise little Olivia who was beautiful even then just aged 8. It's a wonderful memory of the past. Here we are. Eladio said he didn't recognise me in the photo. Oh dear, I wish he did as now that I look back at it, I can see I was quite a good looking young woman. To think then I was just 1 year older than Suzy is now and 2 years older than Olivia now. Wow, where did the time in between go?
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| Olivia and I aged 36 and 8 at our old house in Río Tajo in 1993. |
I came home to find a quiet house. Our Honduran guests were out. I spent some time at my desk dealing with emails. I then did something I had been thinking about for a while. I wanted to know if little Elliot, my future grandson, would be entitled to British citizenship from his mother, Oli who is a British citizen because, I, her mother am British and was born in England. I had to ring the Passport Office and then the Home Office. It is the latter that deals with applications for citizenship but it was impossible to talk to anyone as everything was automated. I finally found the answer to my question hidden deep in the UK Government website. I was totally deflated by reading the following words:
"A child born outside the United Kingdom will not be a British citizen if neither parent is a British citizen otherwise than by descent. A parent who is a British citizen by descent cannot pass that status on." I finally understood that my children could be passed on citizenship through me but that, unlike in Ireland, it only works for one generation so they cannot pass on their citizenship to their offspring. Oh how unfair I thought. I was very disappointed, my family less so. I read also though that if Elliot had been born in the UK to a British citizen even through descent then he would have been automatically a British citizen. Suzy later remarked just how racist Britain is. Her comment hurt me but she has a point. Eladio remarked later that Elliot would be a very good Spanish citizen. Well, of course.
A bit down, afterwards I went upstairs and outside to the sunbeds by the pool to read my book, the Lives of the Mountbattens. It was then that I got an email from my London publisher that would change my mood. It was to sign and return the contract after my input, some of which came from a lawyer friend, Mónica and a publisher friend, Javier. I was amazed to see they accepted each and every clause change proposed by me. Thus I signed it and sent it off. I did so alone feeling rather brave. Have I done the right thing? Will my book even have a chance in England? But I had to try and only time will tell. I got Eladio to take a photo of me smiling with the contract in hand.
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| Smiling after signing the book publishing contract |
Later at dinner, we didn't exactly celebrate but I was on a high. I told Suzy that if I hadn't done it, I would always have regretted the chance to get my father's story published in England. She agreed. I had hardly seen her all day as she had been busy with her classes but we caught up a bit over dinner. Just as we were finishing our Hondurans arrived. They had got over feeling a little lost and stranded as they now have a Spanish phone and sim card, can use Uber and more importantly have found accommodation for their son Oscar. The mother, Josefina, promptly sat down with us and asked if she could share our melon! We were a bit taken aback but could not refuse hahaha. She does talk a lot.
We were in bed late that night but not too late to watch the end of our series Traición.
Tuesday came and there was still no sign of Elliot who no doubt is getting bigger and bigger. Poor Oli. The day started with our walk with Suzy and my goodness how we noticed that the temperature had dropped. Mercury would not rise above 22c that day. It was the first day I wore jeans since our trip to the UK. I'm glad I'm on a diet as I can't get into all of my jeans - how frustrating. After our walk it was food shopping time to Carrefour Market and Mercadona. We were home on time to make lunch which was a quiet affair with my father.
I didn't do much in the afternoon. I had meant to press on with something a bit urgent but put it off - I should not procrastinate - and sat down in the lounge to carry on reading my book on The Mountabattens. Lord Louis does not really come out in a good light I'm afraid even though he is a sort of Royal national hero in the UK. Talking about the UK, the images coming out of Westminster in the closing down ceremony were quite appalling. But I have to admit I was admiring of the speaker who was standing down, John Bercow. What a speaker and I mean it in the two senses of the word. The House of Commons is losing a lot without him. I don't know whether he is a remainer or a leaver but I think he is the best politician we have or at least the one who makes us all sit up and listen and laugh. I love his sense of humour.
That afternoon my dear Uni friend Adele who lives in Orleans in France where she is a University teacher of English rang me. We hadn't spoken since our girly weekend in Brussels in March when we stayed at Sandra's. Would you believe we spoke for 1.5 hours. It was just great to talk to one of my best friends. Later I moaned to Eladio too just how much I miss my closest girlfriends who all live abroad. You are Amanda, Sandra, Adele, Kathy and Anne and I only wish you lived here.
The evening was quiet, Suzy was out at Oli's, our Hondurans came home but didn't use the kitchen and we only saw Andy while having our dinner. Later we started watching a new series on Netflix, The Spy which we found promising.
Wednesday came and the cold front which had affected other parts of Spain, seemed to make its appearance in Madrid that day and temperatures were down again to 22ºc which is unusual for this time in September. Wednesday was the 11th September and the 18th anniversary of the terrible terrorist attacks in the US. As everyone else, I shall never forget that most terrible terrorist attack, one of the worst in history. For me it symbolised the start of a new world, a world of uncertainty, a new type of war where attacks from fanatical Muslim groups can happen at any time in any part of the world. It's hard to fight. It doesn't bear thinking about but it is today's reality.
That morning I had lots to do and as soon as I was back from my walk I went straight to my desk. I had to prepare for sending a press release for a customer on Thursday and I also had to re-do the corrections and additions to the latest manuscript of my father's book which will be like a second edition as I have added so much since I first self published on 1st May. At 1.30 I had a video conference call with Russel, the Senior Editor of L.R. Price Publications my London publisher. We had been exchanging emails for quite a while. It was good to put a face and voice to an email address. I really liked Russel who was very complimentary about my book. He explained that they had chosen it because of its timeless value from a historical point of view. In an email later he wrote "thanks for sharing your wonderful book with us". I was flattered. Really, I have him to thank for taking it on. During the call he explained what the publishing process will be all about and it seems it will take a while; even up to a year. That's a lot for an impatient person like me hahaha. Later I sent him the updates and corrections in the format he had asked for. I imagine the next steps are hearing from the editor who will go through the manuscript. In one of the clauses in the contract I have made sure they include that they will not change the style of the book and that I will have veto rights on any changes they propose to make. This is all very exciting but will take a while, so I have to sit back for the moment as the ball is in their court right now.
I told my father at lunch about the latest on "his" book and he was very pleased. Suzy joined us for lunch as that day her lessons to Chinese kids finished earlier than usual. In the afternoon I worked for 2 or 3 hours and when I felt free of commitments, went outside to finish my book on the Lives and loves of the Mountabattens.
My friend Fátima was coming that afternoon to see me although she didn't arrive until 7 pm. It was great to see her. She gave us an update on how her cancer treatment is going. She was diagnosed with stage 4 bowl cancer over 2.5 years ago and is fighting it like a lioness. I can only admire her. We sat and chatted on the benches in the kitchen patio enjoying the last rays of sunshine. Eladio joined us and I got him to take a photo of the two of us with our dogs; old friends reunited. We have been friends since we met at Motorola in about 1991 nearly 28 years ago.
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| Fátima and I with our dogs, Pippa and Chispi on Wednesday |
That was when we were young and beautiful but not really aware of it. We were close colleagues. At the time Motorola sponsored a cycling team and we were both very involved in the sponsorship. I have a photo of the two of us when we were at the famous Paris Roubaix race which I treasure. This is it. See the difference 30 years makes to a face and body my friends, but not to our hearts, spirits and souls. We are still the same people and still friends. That is what matters I tell myself hahaha.
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| Fátima and I in a photo at the Paris Roubaix cycling race about 30 years ago! |
That night we continued watching the new series on Netflix which we had begun the day before; The Spy. It's based on the life of Israel's top Mossad agent, Eli Cohen in Syria and is well worth watching.
Thursday came and still no sign of Elliot. I was getting a little worried. Everyone was asking us for news but we would have no news until Friday.
Thursday was a work day for me. I had to send out a press release for my customer Adamo, the Swedish fiber internet operator. It was the announcement of a new CEO, the story of which had been leaked by another paper a couple of weeks ago. That would prove to be a hindrance for getting press coverage as the news was out. Also it wasn't exactly breaking news for the telecom media. It was much more important for the staff. I spent all morning on that and part of the afternoon.
It was a warm but windy day. In other parts of Spain the cold front produced havoc. On the south east coast, aka, the Costa Blanca, the area was experiencing the worst floods and storms since records began. I couldn't believe what I was seeing on the TV. That was indeed freak weather. 6 people have died and perhaps the worst hit town was Orihuela in the southern area of Alicante. Luckily in Madrid we were not affected although rain was forecast for the end of the week. It came yesterday and has rained all night. The main news in Spain this week was the weather, the freak floods in the South East and in Málaga with unprecedented damage. The images were shocking and my heart went out to the victims, their families and everyone affected.
We enjoyed the warmer weather her though that afternoon siting on our lovely wicker sofas by the pool and reading. Here is Eladio. See if you can spot Pippa with him.
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| Eladio and Pippa by the pool on Thursday afternoon |
The day ended quietly with Eladio and I having our dinner on the table on the kitchen patio. I went out to the swimming pool terrace just afterwards and was rewarded with a stunning sight. There was a full moon and its reflection on the pool. Let me share a picture of that moment with you.
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| The full moon reflecting on the pool on Thursday night |
Once in bed we continued watching The Spy on Netflix until we fell asleep.
Friday came. That day after our walk, with work out of the way, I went to the hairdresser to get my roots done and have a hair cut. I walked out looking good I suppose but it was raining. Eladio came to pick me up as Suzy had my car. With a plastic bag on my head I dashed into the passenger seat. The rain had reached Madrid finally and it was the first rain in a long long time.
That morning Oli and Miguel were at the hospital for an appointment. Oli's due date was a week over and we were anxious to know the opinion of the doctors. Well, the news was that if she didn't go into labour this weekend, she would have to be admitted into hospital on Monday morning at 8 am for the birth to be induced. Finally then Elliot is on his way but we still don't really know when he will be born but now it should be very soon. We were happy with the news that Oli and Miguel shared with us when they came for lunch that day. For the record I made one of my youngest daugther's favourite dishes: "cocido madrileño".
After a short siesta I had my afternoon cup of decaf tea which I enjoyed while reading my book. It was quite cold outside and I had to wear a warm dressing gown. Later I was joined by Josefina and Oscar, my Honduran guests and we chatted for a while. They told me they loved our house and that we are privileged to live here. Because I live here I don't really see it but of course the house is amazing.
It was Friday night and Oli suggested we go out to dinner. I didn't really want to break my diet but I did want dinner out with my family so off we went. They chose "Casa Iván" in nearby Boadilla where we had been before but they hadn't. I have to say the food was lovely. It was at dinner that Miguel showed me some wonderful photos he had taken of Oli and her bump such as this one.
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| Oli and her bump at 9 months pregnant |
We were home at about 11.30 and watched more of The Spy.
Saturday came and brought the rain with it but thankfully it only made its appearance after our walk. On my walk I kept thinking about buying a proper smart TV. We use an older flat screen TV and are able to watch streaming thanks to Amazon's little device called Amazon Fire Stick. However it plays up a lot, gets frozen and blocked and I am always fighting with it. So that morning Eladio and I went off to El Corte Inglés in search of an up to date smart TV. We ended up buying a 55 inch Samsung for a reasonable price as there was a 20% discount on TVs that week in El Corté Inglés. I can't wait for it to be installed tomorrow. In the afternoon, I wanted to watch a film as it was raining. The fire stick played up. I ended up spending 1.5h trying to fix it with all the tricks in the book. In the end I had to have Amazon call me and it turns out it is broken. They will be sending me a replacement in 2 weeks time. By then I shall not need it as, hopefully, our new smart TV will have solved all the problems we have when using streaming to watch Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc. Meanwhile we are using my trusted iPad pro, a throw back from my times at Yoigo, and last night finished watching The Spy.
We were alone at home for most of Saturday. Our Honduran guests had gone into the city centre to visit the Royal Palace, Suzy was at Juli's and Oli and Miguel at their flat. No doubt we shall see them tomorrow at the hospital when, fingers crossed, she will go into labour. Waiting for Elliot is our status at the moment. I can't imagine the moment I have him in my arms and only then will I really know and understand what it is to be a grandmother. I asked my father if he was looking forward to becoming a great grandfather and of course he is.
Today is Sunday and it looks like it is going to rain all day. I wonder if we will get our walk in. I do hope so. If not it will be a quiet day at home. Zena, our weekend carer, is back and today she will be doing the cooking. I bought the ingredients for her to make her signature dish, Russian stuffed cabbage called "gloupsy", a dish both my father and I love.
On a last note, Facebook reminded me today of a memory from 9 years ago. I always love to check the memories as you know. Well it seems 9 years ago today we were in Jordan visiting that most amazing site, Petra, built by the Nabateans probably in about the 4th century BC. We did so on horseback and wearing local clothes and it was one of the best experiences of our lives. We shall never forget Petra. This is the photo of us on entering on horseback.
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| Eladio and I entering Petra on horseback 9 years ago today. |
So that's it for the moment folks. As you see this week coming will be all about Elliot and hopefully you too will get to see him in photos in next Sunday's blog post.
Wishing you all the best, cheers till next week.
Masha
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